Humfrey Cole

Humfrey Cole followed in a tradition of instrument-making
established by craftsmen from the continent, particularly Flanders,
but was the first English-born maker to produce instruments in
sixteenth century England. Neither his date of birth, nor the
circumstances of his education are known, but he claimed to be a
goldsmith from the north of England on his map of Palestine,
engraved in 1572.

Although the form of his name varies in his signed works,
'Humfrey Cole' is the most commonly used. The few surviving records
of his life show him earning a living as a die-maker in the mint at
the Tower of London for about fifteen years. During this time Cole
took commissions for prestigious scientific instruments and tried
his hand as an engraver of maps. From 1578 onwards he seems to have
concentrated on instrument-making in his house near the north door
of St Pauls Cathedral. Twenty-six spectacular instruments by Cole
are known to have survived, six of which are in The British Museum
collections. Nothing is known about Cole's family except for the
name of his wife, Elizabeth, who survived him when he died in
1591.